Morning Edition

Schedule

88.5-1

Monday - Friday

5:00 am

Monday - Friday

6:00 am

Monday - Friday

6:50 am

Monday - Friday

8:00 am

Waking up is hard to do, but it's easier with NPR's Morning Edition. Hosts Renée Montagne and Steve Inskeep present the day's stories and news to radio listeners on the go. While they are out traveling, David Greene can be heard as regular substitute host. Matt McCleskey and the WAMU news team bring the latest news from the Washington Metro area. Jerry Edwards keeps an eye on the daily commute. Morning Edition provides news in context, airs thoughtful ideas and commentary, and reviews important new music, books, and events in the arts. All with voices and sounds that invite listeners to experience the stories.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

The 23-year-old Indian woman who died after she was gang-raped in New Delhi last December is being honored by the U.S. State Department. Secretary of State John Kerry will posthumously confer the International Women of Courage award on Friday, which is also International Women's Day.

Funeral services will be held Friday for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who died this week after a long battle with cancer. Dozens of presidents and dignitaries are in Caracas, including the leaders of some pariah countries that are adversaries of the United States.

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith is expected to appear in a Manhattan federal court Friday after he was detained in Jordan and sent to the United States. If he goes to trial, he would be one of the people with the closest connection to bin Laden to face trial in a U.S. court.

The Cyrus Cylinder — an ancient clay piece considered the oldest declaration of human rights — is in the U.S. for the first time. The symbol of Persian tolerance arrives in Washington as formal relations between Iran and the U.S. remain strained. Renee Montagne talks to professor Ahmad Karimi of the University of Maryland about the history of this ancient cultural icon.

Facebook has unveiled a redesign of its News Feed, but any social network knows that drastic changes come with risks. Just look at Friendster, a site that fizzled after changes to the interface and a subsequent exodus made it less valuable to users.

When President Obama signs an updated version of the Violence Against Women Act on Thursday afternoon, the law will include new requirements for how colleges and universities handle allegations of sexual assault.

Nogales, Ariz., is home to one of the nation's busiest ports of entry. Trucks line up for inspection before heading to grocery stores in the U.S. But the sequester is forcing the ports to make cuts, leading some to fear higher prices for food and strained relationships with foreign trading partners.

The energy giant says it has "thrown in the towel on solar." The industry has evolved since BP entered the ring, currently emphasizing cheap production rather than research and development. BP says it just wasn't making money, though it will continue investing in other renewable resources.

A federal judge could rule as soon as Thursday in the case, which comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is also set to deal with gay marriage later this month. In Michigan, a lesbian couple sued because the state bans same-sex couples from adopting kids. Then, the judge invited them to go even further.

Widespread police brutality under Hosni Mubarak helped fuel the uprising of 2011. But two years later, many say the police have begun to act like armed gangs, meting out collective punishment in restive areas. The police say they are the victims, under attack by anti-government protesters.

With across-the-board spending cuts now on autopilot, there's a momentary lull in Washington's budget brinksmanship. So the president is using this window to try to craft a more lasting approach to the federal debt.

In Russia, a prominent dancer with the fabled Bolshoi Ballet has confessed to ordering an attack on the company's director. The director suffered third degree burns after acid was thrown onto his face. For more on the scandals at the Bolshoi, Renee Montagne talks to writer Christina Ezrahi, author of Swans of the Kremlin: Ballet and Power in Soviet Russia.

At the Vatican, cardinals continue to noodle over when to hold the conclave to choose the next pope. There has been intense global interest in the process and American cardinals have been at the forefront in briefing reporters and controlling the message. But the Americans have been told to put a lid on it.

When you give to WAMU, your tax-deductible membership gift helps make possible award-winning programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, The Diane Rehm Show, The Kojo Nnamdi Show, and other favorites.